Baby heart op ‘went well’

An emergency operation on an Eastern Cape baby boy born with his heart outside his chest had gone well, the provincial health department said today.

“The boy has now been admitted into ICU and will stay in the hospital for the next couple of months for further clinical investigations,” spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said.

A team of six doctors took part in the operation at a hospital in Port Elizabeth this morning.

A piece of skin was put around the heart to protect it while further tests were being done.

The baby’s 17-year-old mother gave birth at home on Monday before being rushed to Dora Nzinga hospital, said Kupelo.

In a similar case, Ashleigh Louw was born in January last year with her heart outside her chest, covered by only a thin layer of skin.

Doctors operated on her later that month.

She died on March 5 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Joburg.

The condition, known as Pentallogy of Cantrell, occurs in one in a million babies.

Last month, a baby was born with an exposed pancreas and was successfully operated on, said Kupelo.

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